Well, I’m not getting much thinking done in my ‘time out’, but I am having a bit of a rest, which is good. I was fortunate enough to acquire several pieces of antique silk this week, some of it from the eighteenth century, mostly brocade and damask. The silk arrived smelling of mothballs, and a little stiff with dirt and grime, but – oh, what gloriousness… hand stitched seams, patched, darned, worn away by loving hands, holes made by moths and wear – the marks of time, and evidence of a long and happy life. I know opinion is divided on the restoration of old textiles, but here’s what I did… I took a very deep breath and washed it. And do you know what happened? The piece I thought was brown turned out to be the most beautiful pale olive green and yellow. The piece I thought was grey turned out to be cornflower blue. And the piece that seemed beige turned out to be the brightest possible apricot pink. Astonishing. I figured that since I’m keeping these for my own pleasure, and not for their value – I never intend to sell them – it didn’t matter whether I ‘devalued’ them by washing.

Hand hemming (above) on a patched fragment that looks like it was made for the canopy of a bed:

This little fragment (above) looks as if it might be hand embroidered with silk thread

Hand stitched seam (with red thread!) on this vibrant green

Part of some sort of garment? There are hooks along the left hand edge; the backing is hand stitched in place

What treasure, and what good fortune was mine. Possibly more of this later in the week. I have some recently acquired antique lace too, which is equally captivating.

What treasure indeed Karen, (super pics) and how fortunate that they are now in appreciative and creative hands. It has given me an idea re. a couple of very tattered quilts in my cupboard – would that be anything you might be interested in??

…brave…oh yes you were…most definitely. I would have wanted to but honestly, don't know if I would have or not (depending on the source).Although never intending to sell them, I cannot fathom that you will not stitch them into something even more than they are as bits & pieces.They are in good hands.

grizky is such a great word, Arlee – and exactly what they were: slightly sticky, slightly grimy… Kaite, I wish I'd taken a picture of the water – think kind of 'stagnant pond'… and Grace, unbelievably vibrant. I did nothing to alter the colour of the photos. It amazes me.